Demand for childcare workers in Singapore has jumped 51 per cent in January, reveals data from global jobs portal Indeed. 

This surge comes as job postings in around 60 per cent of other occupational categories fell by 5 per cent or more since the end of November.

Singapore job postings on Indeed fell 4.2 per cent compared with a month earlier, marking the third consecutive month of decline. This left postings just 0.9 per cent higher than a year ago. The recent deterioration followed a period from March to October where postings were relatively stable. 

The occupational categories that faced the greatest decline in job postings over the past three months include therapy (-22 per cent), scientific research (-20 per cent) and mathematics (-19 per cent). 

Only 22 per cent of occupational categories experienced growth in job postings on Indeed’s platform over the past three months. In addition to childcare workers, demand for sport workers surged 53 per cent. Other industries that saw gains include beauty and wellness (+9.4 per cent), food preparation (+4.7 per cent) and electrical engineering (+3.6 per cent).

Despite a relatively challenging economic environment though, punctuated by high inflation and tighter monetary policy, Singapore’s labour market remains healthy. Unemployment is low, employment is above pre-pandemic levels and, while postings have recently fallen, they are still almost twice as high as pre-pandemic levels. 

“While we expect economic conditions to soften over the next 12 to 18 months, a large spike in the unemployment rate is unlikely while job postings remain so high. Singapore’s labour market continues to be favourable for job seekers and challenging for recruitment. Job seekers have greater control over where and how they work – underpinned by the number of opportunities available – and are better placed to bargain for higher wages or better conditions,” said Callam Pickering, Indeed's APAC Economist.

Interestingly in 2022, workers in the tech sector were among the least likely to consider a career change, with just 17 per cent of clicks by jobseekers identifying as full stack developers or java developers on jobs outside the tech sector. Interest in a career change was also low for senior software engineers (20 per cent), front end developers (21 per cent) and android developers (25 per cent). 

Chefs were also more reluctant to change careers. Just 25 per cent of clicks by sous chefs and 26 per cent of clicks by head chefs are for jobs outside the food preparation sector. 

“A common factor between the jobs with a low outclick rate is that they typically have a high barrier to entry, with workers needing to gain considerable experience, education and/or training in order to have that career. 

“That long-term commitment might signal the passion that these workers have for their chosen career, the sacrifices that they have made or they might not want to ‘waste’ that investment by leaving the sector. With the current climate and mass layoffs in the tech sector, we will be watching to see if this trend changes in 2023 for those in the industry,” Pickering said.